


UNDER_FELL

by Schaden_freude



Series: UNDER_FELL [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Gen, I will finish this even if it kills me, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Male!Frisk, Multi, My First AO3 Post, Teenage!Frisk, love me some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schaden_freude/pseuds/Schaden_freude
Summary: UNFINISHED and old...will hopefully rewrite this when I get back into the UT fandom.This is not the game you know.These are not the monsters you love.This is a nightmare.This is UNDER_FELL.________________________My own personal interpretation of Frisk's journey in Underfell.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Frisk/Sans (Undertale), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: UNDER_FELL [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615945
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. The Mountain

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! This is my first ever post on AO3 so thanks for stopping by! I know Underfell has been done to death by tons of authors and creators, but I recently fell hard for it, and, well, I am *determined* to finish this fic! Get it? Haha...anyway please enjoy

*Once upon a time, the world was divided between two races: humans and monsters.

*A fearsome war broke out between these two powerful creatures. Their armies fought bravely and terribly. Many lives were lost. 

*In time, however, the humans proved their superiority. With the combined power of seven mages, they sealed the monster race beneath the ground, exiling them forever from the Earth. 

*As time passed, the great war faded into mystical legend. The long gone monsters existed now only in the whispers of mothers, warning their children of beasts who would snatch them if they misbehaved. 

*And yet, deep below the surface, victory still glittered, just out of reach. 

*A mysterious prophecy still kept alive the hopes of those forgotten underground: 

*"An angel who has seen the surface will return.  
*And the Underground will go empty." 

According to legend, Mt. Ebott was the site of one of the last battles of the Great War. It was said that the mountain was covered in monster dust, and nothing ever grew there. 

Over the years human farms and villages grew up around the mountain, though never too close out of respect for the mythology that surrounded the area. 

Of course that never stopped small children from playing on the mountain, climbing it's hard rocks and daring each other to climb ever higher, until their mothers called them down for supper. 

One such child was a boy named Frisk, who called Mt. Ebott his home and occasionally, his friend. As a toddler he had learned to walk it's dirt paths, it's dead trees had been his playground. And in the dark times when he wanted to be alone, it was his safe haven. 

As Frisk and the other village children grew, the fabled monsters and wars faded into distant memory. A road was built through Mt. Ebott, providing a path between Frisk's home and the nearby towns. 

Frisk blessed the mountain and blessed the road when it offered him an escape from the suffocating realities of his broken family. 

Despite a long history of physical abuse at the hands of an older sibling, none of the adults in Frisk’s life came to his aid. You’re a man now, he was told. Act like it. And that’s when he knew the next time his brother hit him, it would be deadly. 

So he ran away. 

They were right. He was no longer a child. But he didn’t feel like a man. 

The mountain that Frisk had long called home loomed large and threatening, a monstrous obstacle in his path. If he could only find the mountain road that led across to the next town, he would be safe. He would find help. 

The small rocks and dead trees that had been so familiar now tripped Frisk, snagged at his clothes, cut thorns into his skin as though intending to keep him there. The whistle of the wind through piles of dead leaves reminded Frisk of wailing, perhaps the mournful death cries of monsters who had fought and died here. 

A single wrong step caused Frisk to lose his balance. He groped for a proper foothold--and fell into a pile of leaves which opened into a crevice. Unable to right himself in time, Frisk braced himself for sharp rocks against his back--but it never came. The crevice was deeper than he thought, and so he fell, down, down into the depths of a nightmare.


	2. The Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk meets a pathetic flower and a lonely mother.

The fall seemed to last for hours, and yet in no time at all the ground came up to meet Frisk. 

Amazingly, he landed directly on a bed of red roses. Although the soft petals mostly cushioned his fall, sharp thorns cut into his exposed hands and knees. 

Getting up and examining himself, Frisk found that, miraculously, he had no broken bones, only scratches and scrapes. Almost as if the fall had not affected his body at all. 

The cavernous space in which he now found himself was large, and it's walls were smooth rock. Frisk looked up, squinting to find the crevice that he had fallen through. But no sunlight shone through, no sign of the world he had just left. 

Just how deep did this mountain go? Frisk suddenly felt a stab of terror. If he could not even see the sky from here, how could anyone know to find him here? What if he starved down here, trapped forever underground? 

The thought of a lonely death startled Frisk into movement. He searched the cave, squinting in the dim light for some way out. Desperation tore at his heart. To his surprise, he found a doorway, carved into the wall with intricate patterns and runes. 

A door? That must mean there are people down here! Frisk's heart leaped at the idea of finding others, and without much of a second thought he rushed through the strange doorway. 

But the next room was quite empty, save for a small mound of grass in the center. A wilting flower rose from the mound, its stem bent and its petals drooping pathetically towards the ground. 

Cautiously, Frisk took a step forward. "Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing across the cavern walls. 

The flower jumped, its stem standing straight up in fear. 

"Please don't hurt me!" A childish voice squeaked.

It took Frisk a moment to realize the voice was coming from the flower. 

"I'm not gonna--" he began, then paused. Flowers don't talk. Which meant this flower wasn't human. Which meant it was a-- 

"Monster!" Frisk shrieked, his childhood fears and motherly warnings coming back all at once. He panicked, moving quickly away from the monster. 

The flower screamed as well, equally terrified, cowering beneath its petals. "I'm sorry!! I didn't--please don't hurt me, please!!" 

This monster was obviously harmless, and Frisk could never bring himself to hurt an innocent creature, even if it was a monster. So he started to assure the flower again, but was interrupted by footsteps. 

Both human and monster froze, listening for the coming footsteps. The flower acted first, literally moving off it's mound with foot-like petals and hurrying behind Frisk’s body, as though hiding itself. 

"She's coming!" the flower hissed fearfully. 

"Who--?"

The question was swiftly answered by the entrance of the owner of the footsteps. She too was a monster, a large goat-like woman, with a sweet smile and red-rimmed eyes, as though she had been crying. Despite her unfamiliar appearance, there was something about her demeanor that reminded Frisk of his own mother. 

"My dear child, how did you get here?" Her voice was gentle. "You must have gotten terribly lost." 

"Um, yeah," Frisk knew he should be on his guard. You couldn't trust monsters, not after all that they had done to humans. But this woman's voice was so kind, so disarming. 

"My name is Toriel," the woman continued. "If you'll come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe." She held out her paw. "What is your name?" 

"Frisk…” he replied quietly, staring at the offered paw. Somewhere safe was exactly what he wanted, what he needed, but he knew better than to follow strangers. I’m not a child anymore, he told himself. I’ll be a man. 

Toriel lowered her paw, and with a slight smile, she began walking down the hallway where she came. 

“Come along, Frisk, dear. These Ruins can be very dangerous, you know.”

Seeing as he had very few other options, Frisk began following her. Monsters were dangerous, but so was being alone. And anyhow, anything was better than being back home. 

He almost forgot about the flower, who hurriedly attached himself to the back of Frisk's shirt. 

And so they followed her deeper into the underground.


	3. The First Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk witnesses an act of cruelty.

The caves that Frisk had fallen into slowly shifted into long, well-built hallways, inhabited by many strange monsters. It was like an underground village, far different from the vast farmland Frisk had grown up on. 

This place was called the Ruins, according to a navigation sign, and it certainly lived up to its name. The walls, though beautifully decorated, were ancient and had long fallen into disrepair. 

Small monsters peeked out here and there from little nooks and crannies; their beady eyes fixed on Frisk with expressions of both fear and hatred. They were clearly hostile towards him, though Frisk had no idea why. As far as he knew, he had done nothing wrong. He was about to ask Toriel about it when a monster boldly hopped up to him. 

A lone Froggit blocked Frisk's path, glaring at him, it's small body trembling with rage. 

"Why are you here?" it sneered. "Come to finish us off?"

"What? No!" Frisk began. "I didn't--" 

"King Asgore will destroy you!" the Froggit screeched. "Long live the king! Long live the-- aaaaaaiiiiieeeeee!!"

The Froggit burst into flames. 

Frisk shrieked in surprise, but before he could do anything, Toriel was there, standing over the dying Froggit, her red eyes burning with cold rage like the fire magic she now wielded against the other monster. 

Frisk stared in horror as the Froggit burned to death in front of his eyes. "Stop it!" he cried. "Stop!!" 

But he was too late. Within seconds the Froggit was nothing more than a pile of dust. 

"What a foolish pest," Toriel frowned, calmly brushing dust from her sleeve. "You shouldn't allow such creatures to stand in your way, dear." 

Is this what being an adult was like? Frisk wondered. To mercilessly mow down anything that stood in your way?

Toriel continued on as though this was normal, but Frisk noticed all the small monsters in the walls now disappeared when they approached. 

"Oh, I wanted to ask you," Toriel smiled kindly at Frisk. "I am making a pie for supper tonight and I must know: do you prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?" 

"Cinnamon's…fine…" Frisk muttered quietly. He could not get the image of the burning Froggit out of his mind. It may have been a monster, but it was also an innocent creature. 

"Frisk..." Toriel placed her hands on his shoulders, kneeling to his height. "I'm so happy you're here. It can get awfully lonely in the Ruins, but it's so much better when you're not alone." 

Frisk nodded, making steady eye contact with Toriel. He didn't quite trust her, and yet he didn't want to be alone either. 

"I have to go pick up a few things for supper," Toriel continued. "Be good and stay here, okay? I'll be right back."

Frisk agreed to stay put and watched her go. As soon as she was out of earshot, he felt something nip at his wrist. 

"Ouch!" Frisk instinctively shook his hand, throwing a tagalong flower from his sleeve. "Don't do that!!" 

"I'm sorry!" the flower whimpered. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" 

"Why are you following me?" Frisk asked, more curious than angry. The flower looked like it was about to cry. 

"You...you look like someone I knew." He changed the subject. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower." 

Frisk smiled despite himself. "Not a very original name." 

"I didn't choose it," Flowey pouted. "You're in grave danger, Frisk. In this world, it's kill or be killed, and every monster here will try to hurt you."

"But why? I didn't do anything. I don't even know how I got here!" 

Briefly Frisk explained his journey from Mt. Ebott, carefully omitting exactly why he ran away from home. He wasn't ready to talk about that yet. 

"Mt. Ebott?" Flowey repeated. "I've never heard of it. You sure that's what it's called?" 

"Of course I'm sure! I grew up near it! I--look out!!” 

Flowey moved forward just as a monster’s jaw snapped at him. They were so busy talking they hadn’t noticed the other monsters getting closer, braver now that Toriel was gone. They leered at the human and the flower unpleasantly. Flowey immediately clung to Frisk.   
“You have to fight them!” he cried. “Before they kill us!!” 

The image of the burning Froggit again filled Frisk’s mind, and he felt nauseous. He could never bring himself to do something like that. But he had to save himself and Flowey…

“I don’t get it!” Frisk said loudly to the crowd. “What do you guys want from me?”

“Your soul, your soul! Our king Asgore will take your soul!” they chorused. “We have six human souls and need one more to break the barrier!”

Six souls? Frisk tried to remember what he had learned in his old history classes. Seven human mages locked away the monsters...seven human souls to break the barrier…

And I’m the seventh! he thought. 

“Listen up!” Frisk announced. “I’m going to Asgore right now, and I’m going to break the barrier myself!” 

“You’ll WHAT?” Flowey screamed.

But his objection was drowned out by the hurrahs and cheers of the monsters. “Break the barrier! Break the barrier!” Despite their hostility, the monsters did not care to take Frisk’s soul themselves. They only wanted freedom. Amid the chaos Frisk was able to sneak away with Flowey clinging to his sleeve. 

“You can’t just make promises like that!” Flowey protested as soon as they were alone. “Asgore will kill you!”

“My soul is the only thing between you and freedom,” said Frisk sadly. “I don’t want to die, but I’ll do what I need to do to escape. And the barrier is the only way out, isn’t it? So that’s where I’m going.”

Flowey began to protest, but only sighed, resigned to Frisk’s decision. 

“I’ll follow you,” he replied. “Wherever you go. It’s not good to be alone.”


	4. The Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk shows mercy for the first time.

Frisk and Flowey, now united by hardship, made their way together through the Ruins. There were relatively fewer monsters in this area, and so they passed through unscathed. 

It was in this lull that Frisk realized he had not eaten in a long time, since he had ran away from home. All the excitement had made him forget his hunger. 

Luckily, Flowey had a vague knowledge of the Ruins and was able to point out certain hidden side rooms. Here they bought cider and donuts from a spider (Frisk had brought a little money from home). They also found a lonely dish of free candy, with a sign above it warning: DANGER: POISONED. 

"What's the point of having it out, then?" said Frisk crossly. 

The continued on and Frisk ate the donuts. Meanwhile Flowey discovered that by attaching himself to Frisk's wrist, he could feed off his nutrients. Within minutes Flowey's petals had grown strong and blooming again. It was a bit of a symbiotic arrangement, and Frisk felt tired after Flowey took energy from him, but they were just happy not to be alone. 

It wasn't long before a large house came into view. It was beautiful, and reminded Frisk of the wealthy townhouses from back home. Finally, a warm place to stay! He hoped the owners were hospitable. 

As it turned out, and I'm sure you knew already, the only inhabitant of the house was Toriel, who came bounding out of the house to envelop Frisk in her motherly bosom (Flowey hid in Frisk's shirt).

"You must stay put when I tell you, Frisk!" Toriel scolded. "I was very worried about you! When I came back and you weren't there, I thought--well, come inside quickly now. You must be starving, poor thing." 

Inside, the house was just as beautiful as it was outside. In fact it was surprisingly homey, with family photographs on the walls and books on the shelves. It seemed as though a real family had lived here, once upon a time, but now it was only Toriel. 

"I know you chose cinnamon, but I hope you won't object to butterscotch," said Toriel. "It was easier to combine both, you know...supper will be ready soon. Just make yourself at home." 

She bustled off to the kitchen, leaving Frisk to explore by himself. He found a bedroom that appeared to belong to children--little shoes and baby toys that clearly hadn't been used in a long time. In the closets were neat dresses and shirts. He opened a desk drawer and found a toy knife--not exactly the most effective weapon, but good to have in case he needed it. He hoped he wouldn’t. 

Flowey was uncharacteristically quiet as they explored the room. When prodded, he said shortly, "I used to live here." But he refused to say more, despite Frisk's curiosity. Seems like they both had secrets to keep. 

Out in the hallway, they found a wall mirror. After all that had happened, Frisk thought he would look different somehow. But he looked like the same old Frisk he had always been. Strange. 

As they moved towards the kitchen, the smell of cinnamon and butterscotch became overwhelming. It brought back memories of mothers bent over hot stoves, creating deliciousness as though by magic. The thought twisted Frisk's stomach with homesickness, and he resolved again to escape the Underground. 

He found Toriel in the living room, sitting on a comfortable armchair, reading a book. She looked like a perfect picture of a happy life. The only flaw was the absence of people. She looked up at Frisk and smiled. 

"Supper is almost ready, dear." 

"Toriel..." Frisk began, trying to find the right words. "This...this is all wonderful, and I'd love to stay with you longer, but...I really need to go." 

"Go?" Toriel repeated. "Where in heaven's name would you go?" 

"Well, outside," said Frisk, trying to sound firm. "I mean...I don't belong here in the Underground. I need to go back to the Surface. Can you show me how to leave the Ruins?" 

A flash of worry passed over Toriel's face, and quickly vanished. Still retaining her smile, she replied, 

"Of course, dear. But let's talk about it after supper. I think the pie is ready." 

The promised butterscotch-cinnamon pie looked and smelled heavenly, and despite his hesitation Frisk could not wait to dig into it. 

Toriel served him a large slice, brimming with butterscotch flavor and dusted liberally with cinnamon. Frisk took a small bite. It melted in his mouth and tasted like everything he had ever dreamed of. 

The smile stayed frozen on Toriel's face as she watched him eat it. Then, without taking any pie herself, she stood up from the table. 

"If you'll excuse me, dear, I need to tend to something quickly." 

She left the room. As soon as she was out of earshot Flowey cautiously peeked out from Frisk's sleeve. 

"Flowey, try some of this pie," Frisk offered from his own plate. "It's really good!" 

Flowey frowned, looking at the pie closely. "Maybe, but--oh my god, Frisk!" 

"What?" 

"The pie! It-- It's got something weird in it!" 

Upon looking closer, Frisk saw it too. Buried within the butterscotch was a fine white powder. 

“Drugs,” Frisk gasped. “What did she--?!” 

“Run! Go after her!” Flowey shrieked, and Frisk obeyed. 

He ran back to the living room and looked down the hallway, but Toriel was not there, and the bedroom door was still closed as he had left it. Which means she must have gone downstairs. 

As Frisk hurried down the stairs and through the hallway beneath, he felt his body grow sluggish and heavy. Whatever that drug was, it sure worked fast. He prayed that it wasn’t some kind of poison. 

“C’mon, Frisk, you gotta stay awake!” Flowey urged. “Please--keep going!” 

At the end of the long hallway was a huge door, and Toriel herself preparing to block the door permanently. 

“Stop!” Frisk cried. “Why are you doing this?!”

“I’m sorry, Frisk,” said Toriel softly. “It’s for your own good. The outside world is too dangerous for a child. Better you stay here with me.”

“I’m not a child!” Frisk snapped, his anger providing more energy. “And I will NEVER be like you! I have to get out of here and break the barrier! I have to--”

“ENOUGH!” A great flash of fire burst from Toriel’s body. “Foolish boy, you have no idea what lies before you! They...Asgore...will destroy you and take your soul! I...I only want to protect you!” Her voice broke. “Do you have any idea how many humans came down like you, and died for nothing?!” 

Frisk’s body was beginning to shut down. He felt sick and tired, so tired. The hall swam before him, but he knew if he passed out now, he would never escape. 

“Please,” he begged. “I can do this. I can help everyone, if you’ll just trust me. Please, please…” 

Seeing her sweet Frisk beg so pitifully, fight so hard, finally broke Toriel’s resolve. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. 

“I-I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’ve done...unforgivable things to you...you cannot know what it’s like to be alone. My children...all my children are gone.” Her voice rose to a high-pitched scream. “All my children are gone!” 

Then, to Frisk’s surprise, she fell to her knees, exposing her neck to him. 

“I know you have the knife. Please, end all this. If you cannot forgive me, just kill me. Please. I cannot go on like this. I cannot--” 

She stopped as Frisk’s warm arms wrapped around her exposed neck. He hugged her close, like he would never let go. 

“I forgive you,” he whispered. “I...I know what it’s like to be alone. I’m sorry.”

He had to break the hug quickly or he would fall asleep on Toriel’s shoulder. He could barely stand, could barely see. Still it was a relief when he heard Toriel unlock the door. 

“Go, and don’t come back,” said Toriel, holding the door open for him. “It’s too hard. But don’t forget me here. Promise you won’t forget me.” 

Stumbling through the doorway, he promised. 

The door closed and locked, leaving Frisk and Flowey alone in yet another long, dark hallway. At the end of this hall, however, there was a light. 

“I-I don’t think anyone will come through here,” said Flowey gently. “Just...sleep now, Frisk. I’ll keep watch, and wake you if anything happens.”

There was no need to tell Frisk twice. He made himself as comfortable as he could on the carpeted floor. But there was one more thing he needed to know before he allowed his body to sleep off the drugs. 

“Flowey?”

“Yeah?”  
“Were the other humans she mentioned...the six human souls?”

“...Yeah.” 

“I was afraid of that.”


	5. The Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk meets the Skelebros. Shenanigans ensue.

Frisk had no idea how long he had slept, and neither did Flowey. It was impossible to tell the time down here. 

The important thing was that Frisk had slept off the drugs and escaped Toriel. He felt a pang of guilt when he woke up and remembered what had happened to her. 

"I feel awful too," said Flowey hoarsely. "But we've gotta keep moving, Frisk. As soon as we reach the barrier, we'll be safe."

Frisk wasn't so sure. There was a lot that Flowey wasn't telling him. 

The view at the end of the hallway took Frisk's breath away. He had stumbled upon a gorgeous snow covered forest, a vast white blanket dotted with bare black trees. 

"It's beautiful," Frisk breathed. He hadn't realized how claustrophobic the Ruins had been until now. In this wide open space, he felt more at home. 

Flowey seemed to relax a bit more as well. As they walked down a snow-cleared path, he talked a bit more about the monsters.

"We all used to live in the Ruins, you know, during the early years of exile. But as generations passed people moved out and inhabited farther places. Nowadays hardly anyone even remembers the war. They just want to get back to the surface, to the open air." 

“But why kill humans? Why not use monster souls?”

“Human souls have a special magic that sets them apart from monster souls. They last longer after death, for one. And each soul is unique to the person it belongs to. It’s your very essence. Without it, you’re...not really alive. I would know. I lost mine years ago. I--wait, did you hear that?” 

Instinctively Frisk began walking faster. He too heard the slow shuffling behind them, and felt the distinct sensation of being watched. A stick cracked behind him and he gasped, moving faster.   
Further down the path was a bridge, bisected by a fearsome-looking barbed wire fence. 

Shit! Frisk barely managed to slow down before he crashed into the barb wire. Panicked, he pulled vainly at the wire--but the mysterious danger was already behind him. 

“Hey, buddy. Don’t ya know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.” 

What choice did he have? Frisk turned and, boldly looking the stranger in the eyes, he gripped his skeletal hand. Immediately an electric pulse shot through Frisk’s hand, causing him to jump back. It wasn’t painful, just startling.   
The skeleton monster threw back his skull and guffawed. “Haha! Y’shoulda seen your face! S’the oldest trick in the book!”

Turning his hand, he showed Frisk the joy buzzer tied to his palm. “Oh, c’mon, kid, wasn’t it *shock*ingly hilarious? Ha!” 

Frisk stared at him, clearly unamused. 

“Tough crowd, eh?” He slipped the joy buzzer back into his pocket. “Anyhow, I’m Sans. Sans the Skeleton.” 

“My name’s Frisk,” said the human boldly. They weren’t sure they liked this skeleton very much. At least he wasn’t trying to kill them. 

“What kinda monster are you supposed to be?” Sans eyed the vines snaking along Frisk’s wrist. “Some sorta flower-humanoid hybrid or somethin’?”

“Uh--”

“I’m just kidding, pal! I know you’re human. See, here’s the thing…” He wrapped his arm around Frisk’s shoulders. He had such a confident, almost charming air to him that Frisk didn’t attempt to resist. 

“I’m sorta s’posed to be on the lookout for humans. A sentry, y’know?” As he spoke Sans snapped fingers, activating a magic switch that opened a door in the fence. He swept Frisk straight through. 

“Thing is, I’m really bad at my job. Just don’t care enough. Now, my brother, Papyrus, well, he’s a human-hunting fanatic. In fact, here he comes riiiiight now.” 

“What?” Frisk looked down the snowy path they were walking, but didn’t see anyone else. 

“Hey, I got an idea,” Sans was clearly enjoying Frisk’s discomfort. “Go hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp, ‘kay?”

Feeling utterly bewildered, Frisk found himself hiding behind the lamp, wondering why anyone would leave a human-shaped lamp outside in the middle of the snow. 

“I don’t like this, Frisk,” Flowey whispered. “Why are we trusting him? 

Before Frisk could answer, a skeleton that could only have been Sans’s brother stormed in. 

“Sans, are you sleeping on the job again?!” Papyrus shouted. Actually he wasn’t really shouting, his voice was simply naturally loud. 

“Boss, you really gotta *chill* out. Take it *snow* for once, okay?” Sans grinned. 

“This is NOT the time for puns, brother! My top secret sources have reported to me that a human has been sighted in this area!” 

“Top secret sources? You mean the Undernet?” 

“Yes! No! Maybe!” 

“Weeeeell…” Sans shrugged. “If you’re looking for humans, I’d suggest asking that inconveniently shaped lamp over there.” 

“I knew we couldn’t trust him!” Flowey hissed quietly. 

“The lamp?” Papyrus stared at it. “Don’t be stupid, Sans! Lamps are incorrigible creatures and I, the Great and Terrible Papyrus, will not stoop to their level!” 

“Uh, okay. Whatever you say, boss. I just think the lamp might *enlighten* you--” 

“NO MORE PUNS! Go make yourself useful and check the spike pit again! NOW!” 

“You got it, boss.” 

And without another word, Sans disappeared. Confused, Frisk looked this way and that to see where he could have gone. How did he just--?”

“HUMAN!” 

Suddenly Frisk was lifted up by the waist and held to Papyrus’s face. The tall skeleton was firm but gentle, and though Frisk reached for the toy knife in his belt, he didn’t take it out. Not until he really needed it. 

“I, the Great and Terrible Papyrus, have captured you!” Papyrus announced. “As the seventh human, you will be duly handed over to our great (but not as great as me) Captain Undyne, who will then transport you to our most royal (but not as royal as me) King Asgore, who will then use your soul to break the barrier and free our kind, after which there will be lots of cake and ice cream and also a statue built in my likeness. Are there any questions?” 

“Yeah, can you put us down please?” Frisk asked. “I mean, we were already headed that way ourselves.” 

“Ah, yes, but I, the Great and Terrible--” 

At that moment a loud, low growl rumbled, interrupting the conversation. It was a fearsome noise that shook the earth and caused the birds to take flight. And it was coming from Frisk’s stomach. 

“How dare you interrupt me when I am bragging!” Papyrus raged, bringing Frisk closer to his face. “You will pay for your transgression!!” 

“I-I didn’t--” Frisk stammered anxiously.  
He had forgotten how hungry he was! Cowering, he braced himself for the incoming punishment. But it never came. 

Instead Papyrus shifted Frisk to one arm, and with the other he held up an innocent plate of spaghetti.   
Frisk stared at it.

"For your first challenge, human, you will eat my Great and Terrible spaghetti!" Papyrus declared. "A tiny human like yourself cannot possibly survive in the presence of one so Great and Terrible as myself on an empty stomach! Nyeh heh heh!"

Both surprised and relieved, Frisk ate a strand of spaghetti. It was somehow both overcooked and undercooked at the same time. Still, food was food, so Frisk sat with Papyrus and ate spaghetti with him. 

"No one can resist the delicious crunchiness of my spaghetti!" Papyrus laughed triumphantly. "Never shall it be said that a mere human and their flowery friend went hungry while facing the wrath of the Great and Terrible Papyrus!" 

"I...um...thank you," Frisk managed to say in between bites of spaghetti. He could not believe their luck in finding such a kind, albeit egotistical, monster. And the pasta wasn't so bad, when you got used to it. 

"It pains me deeply to leave you in the middle of our blossoming friendship," Papyrus sighed dramatically. "But I simply must recalibrate my puzzles in preparation for our climactic final battle!" 

Final battle? Frisk glanced at Flowey. That didn't sound good. 

But Papyrus was already off, his tall bony legs making much bigger strides than Frisk's little steps could ever hope to achieve. He was exceedingly glad that the tall skeleton was not a more fearsome enemy. 

Sans, on the other hand...there was something mysterious about him that Frisk did not like. He was silly and unbearably lazy, and yet he seemed unnaturally perceptive, as though he could peer into your very soul. It unnerved Frisk to think about the way he had looked at him. 

In any case, there was no need to sit around in the snow. After finishing the pasta and regaining their strength, Frisk and Flowey continued down the snowy path, towards the bustling town of Snowdin.


	6. The Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk explores the town of Snowdin.

Due to it's frigid environment, Snowdin is largely isolated from the rest of the Underground. It is an insular community, similar to a small human village where everyone knows each other. 

You had to be tough to survive in Snowdin. Because of it's secluded nature, a lot of criminally-minded monsters came here to escape the law in Hotland and New Home. Gangs from the cities quickly took over, bullying the shopkeepers and terrorizing the local population. Snowdin became a town of toughened gangsters and their lackeys. And they did not take kindly to strangers. 

With a few easy modifications, Frisk and Flowey found that they really could pull off the 'flower-humanoid monster' look, as Sans had put it. So Frisk wasn't immediately recognized as a human, and Flowey could peek out of Frisk's shirt. In this way they walked into Snowdin. 

They went first to a little supermarket, where the female bunny shopkeeper promptly attempted to rip them off, while her little son almost got away with pickpocketing them. As a child Frisk was trained to negotiate with the stingy merchants at market, so he sharply argued until he got their money back. 

"You new around here, son?" the shopkeeper asked as she counted her earnings for the fifth time. 

"Yeah, we...um, I...just got in," said Frisk, making up a story on the spot. "Just visiting a relative, you know." 

"That so? Who's your relative? I know everyone in this town." 

"Uhhh…" Frisk realized he had talked himself into a corner. "Its Sans. Him and Papyrus. I'm their...cousin." 

"Oh, those two!" she smiled. "They're funny. You don't look much like a skeleton, though," she added, peering closely at Frisk. 

“I’m, uh, not old enough to shed my skin,” Frisk lied quickly. “Once I do, I’ll look like them.” 

This excuse didn’t make any sense because it was obvious that Frisk and Sans were roughly the same age. The shopkeeper seemed about to call him out on this lie when the conversation was interrupted by a loud howl. 

Upon stepping out of the shop, they discovered the howl came from a group of dog-like monsters who were coming down the street, shoving people out of their way and barking at everyone. Though they were all of different sizes and shapes, they all wore a black leather jacket with the words “ROYAL GUARD” on their backs. 

“Who are they?” Frisk asked curiously. 

“They’re part of the Royal Guard,” replied the shopkeeper, frowning with distaste. “They’re supposed to keep the peace around here, but they’re just a bunch of glorified guard dogs. They bully everyone.” 

At that moment one of the dogs, a massive fellow with a tiny puppy face peeking out of shiny armor, stopped in his tracks. He began to sniff the air, and kept on sniffing until his nose led him directly to Frisk. 

“What is it, boy?” one of the other dogs called. “Whatcha got there?” 

“Ohhh, it’s a stranger, dear!” a female dog told her identical mate. 

“We don’t take very kindly to strangers,” the leader of the gang, who had a tattoo reading “DOGGO” on his arm, leaned in close to Frisk’s face. 

Instinctively Frisk stepped back, about to bring up his “Sans is my cousin” story, when the shopkeeper stepped in and did it for him. 

“Oh, leave ‘em alone, fellas, he’s Sans’s cousin.” 

“That old bonehead?” Doggo laughed. “Well, you give him a message for me, won’t ya?” 

And he shoved Frisk, hard, to the ground. 

Immediately the dogs surrounded Frisk, laughing cruelly and taunting him. Trying to get away, Frisk rolled into a small pile of snow and dirt. 

“Wait!” the female dog sniffed the air curiously. “You smell that?”  
She leaned closer, sniffing Frisk again. “Oh my gosh. Are you actually a small puppy?” 

After a moment of hesitation, Frisk understood. He rolled in the dirt, covering himself with snow and mud. Within a few moments all the dogs were sniffing at him, wondering at this strange new little puppy they had never smelled before. Frisk tentatively held out their hand and began petting Doggo. 

“A dog that can pet other dogs??” the gang cried. “A whole new world has opened up for us!!”

Suddenly Frisk was buried under a pile of cuddly dogs. He laughed as their wet noses crowded him, sniffing and licking where there had previously been hostility. 

“Thanks, weird puppy!” The dogs howled their goodbyes and bounded away to terrorize someone else. 

Frisk got up, still giggling a bit, and brushed the dirt and snow from his clothes. These monsters really weren’t so bad after all. Perhaps the road to the barrier would be easier than he--

“Nice going, cousin,” a voice whispered in his ear. 

Frisk jumped, startled. Sans had appeared directly behind him, in that annoyingly mysterious way he had. 

“Geez, you scared me!” Frisk scowled. “And what was the deal with that lamp trick? You totally gave me away!” 

“Yeesh, kid, can’t ya take a joke?” Sans grinned, holding up his hands defensively. “Tell ya what, I’ll make it up to ya. I was just about to go to Grillby’s. Wanna come? My treat.” 

Frisk was no longer hungry, and he could feel Flowey vibrating suspiciously. They still had no reason to trust Sans, though he seemed relatively harmless. And he was obviously intelligent and interested in Frisk’s journey. Maybe he could provide more information about how to reach the barrier. 

So Frisk agreed, despite Flowey’s warning looks and silent protests. After all, what was an adventure without a little risk? 

Grillby’s turned out to be a retro style fast food place. Monsters in punk and goth costumes smoked heavily while leaning against the paint-cracked walls. A muscular ice-wolf played pool alone, growling softly at each ball. 

Sans and Frisk went up to the bar to sit, though Frisk carefully checked for any more joy buzzers before sitting. The barkeep was a fiery monster who was obviously friends with Sans. 

“You want the usual?”

“Sure. Make it a double order for me and my friend here.” 

Friend? Frisk wasn’t aware they had become friends. “What do you want?” he asked quietly. 

Sans shrugged. “Just to talk, I guess. Saw your little encounter with the canine unit. Why’d ya let ‘em push you around like that?” 

“Aw, they didn’t mean anything by it. They thought I was a puppy.” Frisk smiled. “They don’t seem to like you much, though.”

“Dogs have a thing about bones,” Sans knocked his skull. “Seriously though, they’re a buncha bullies. They knocked ya down for no reason. You coulda taken ‘em out, easy.” 

“If I get knocked down, I just get back up,” Frisk shrugged. “Why hit back? Isn’t it better if less people get hurt?” 

Sans laughed an unpleasant, mirthless laugh, like he just heard a bad joke. “Ha! That might work in this hick town, but in Hotland, that won’t cut it. If someone hits you, you hit back. My bro, Papyrus, he used to pick on me for not being stronger. Well, one day I got sick of being picked on. The next time he tried to hit me, I hit him harder. And he never tried nothing again.”

That got Frisk thinking. In all the years he had lived with his own brother, he had never once fought back. What was the point? As the younger brother, he thought he deserved whatever he got. What would have happened if he had hit back? 

“I don’t know,” said Frisk with uncertainty. “I don’t think I could hurt someone, even if they really deserve it. I always thought it’s better to talk people out of fights.”  
“You got a lot to learn, kiddo,” Sans sighed. “Oh, here’s the food.” 

Grillby returned with two bottles of mustard. Sans took one and took a big gulp. Frisk stared at him. The idea of drinking mustard straight was strangely unappealing. 

“Look, man, this pacifist attitude of yours just ain’t gonna cut it,” Sans turned on his bar stool. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed. Monsters tear each other apart just for looking funny. What chance do you think a puny human like you has of reaching the barrier?” 

He hopped off the stool, taking another strong swig of mustard. “Take my advice, pal. Less talking. More fighting.”

Before he left the bar he called out, “Yo Grillbz, put it on my tab, ‘kay?” 

And he left Frisk sitting alone at the bar. 

“What a jerk,” Flowey scowled at Sans’s back. “He thinks he knows everything...you don’t really believe him, do you, Frisk? ...Frisk?” 

The human’s fists were clenched with anger. “Of course not,” he growled. “And I’m gonna prove that bonehead wrong. No matter what it takes.”


	7. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk fights Papyrus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter because I'm really hecking tired...thank god Papyrus is relatively easy to write

Frisk was still seething when he left Grillby's. Sans's words had made him angry--and conflicted. Was fighting really the only way to reach the barrier? 

What the hell did Sans know anyway? Frisk thought angrily. Flowey and I have been doing just fine without his stupid advice. We got past Toriel and the Royal Guard without his help, didn't we? And without fighting too! 

"Frisk, calm down," Flowey warned gently. "Don't let that smiley trashbag get to you."

Flowey was right, as always, so Frisk took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Why should he care what Sans thought anyway? 

But he did care. A little bit. 

Despite his lazy prankster attitude, there was something about Sans' intelligence, his perception, that made Frisk want to march up to him and defend his pacifistic method. Sans made him angry, but he also made him passionate. 

Now more than ever Frisk was determined to reach the barrier, and to do it without hurting anyone. He would show that he wasn't some puny human who needed to rely on brute force. Yes, he would show him! 

Frisk was so wrapped up in these thoughts that he failed to notice the gathering fog around him. The snow seemed to thicken and heavy mist swirled in the air. Squinting into the distance, Frisk could just barely make out a tall, dark figure. 

But that silhouette was unmistakable.

"Human," Papyrus's voice cut through the fog. "Although we have bonded over our mutual love for spaghetti, the time has come…"

He paused for dramatic effect. "When I must take your soul." 

Frisk's heart sank. He had forgotten about the climactic final battle with Papyrus. He reminded himself of his resolution not to kill, and he was filled with determination. 

Papyrus's attacks were puzzles: the only way Frisk could properly dodge them was to first calculate the answer, which would determine where he needed to be in order to avoid the deadly bones. At first the puzzles were fairly simple, but gradually the bone attacks became more vicious and the time he had to solve them smaller and smaller. 

At Frisk's turns he spared stubbornly, refusing to even give Papyrus the satisfaction of admitting pain. He liked the tall skeleton, but he was not going to lose. This was different from the confrontation with Toriel, which had been emotionally charged and volatile. This battle was carefully structured, calculated to the last bone. 

Oh, and there was also the fact that Papyrus wouldn't shut up. 

"You cannot know how it pains me to do this to you, human! But I am getting paid for this! Or am I?" 

“Why aren’t you fighting back? These are not love bones!” 

“Nyeh heh heh! Prepare yourself for my SPECIAL ATTACK!” 

“Wha--hey!! Let go of that bone, you stupid dog! NYEHHH!”

After several rounds of this Papyrus was getting tired. “What is wrong with you?! Why don’t you hit me back already? It’s getting boring! And I’m running out of puzzles!” 

He thought for a moment. “Oh, I get it. Very clever strategy, human! You will keep sparing me until I run out of puzzles! Well, the joke is on you!! I have INFINITE BONES!!” 

The attacks suddenly became faster, more intense, and Frisk actually had a hard time keeping his HP up. Flowey dutifully provided food from their inventory to heal Frisk, but the attacks were coming so fast and hard it was becoming difficult to keep up. Still the challenge only reinforced his determination to win and not to kill. 

Meanwhile Papyrus was bragging again. Frisk had tuned out his shouting a while ago, but now he was listening. 

“Just think what Captain Undyne will say when I bring her the last human soul! Better yet, maybe I’ll keep it for myself! Nyeh heh heh! A monster with a human soul is a very valuable thing, yes...with that power I could depose the king! I could rule the world!” 

“But Papyrus,” Frisk spoke up abruptly. “Would that make you happy?” 

“Happy?” Papyrus paused in the middle of a particularly cruel bone attack, much to Frisk’s relief. “Well, of course! My power will give me anything I could ever want! Well, I mean, it probably won’t make Sans less lazy, but, um…” 

For the first time, the Great and Terrible Papyrus faltered. “Ruling the world won’t make me a better brother. And it probably won’t make me any new friends. I don’t have very many, you know. In fact it might just drive them away. Well, if it won’t give me what I really want, what’s the point of it?” 

He appeared to be talking to himself now, reasoning through the logic as precisely as his bone attacks. “If capturing a human soul gives me power, but that power does not make me happy, i.e gives me what I truly want, what would the point of gaining such a human soul be? Sure, breaking the barrier would be nice and all, but really, what’s the point if I have no friends to share that joy with?”

“Well...I’ll be your friend,” said Frisk. 

“You are a strange human,” Papyrus narrowed his eyes at them. “You won’t fight. You won’t flee. Yet you’re still here. Well, that’s more than I can say for many monsters that live here. Human, you have not won this battle. But you have won something infinitely more valuable.”

“What’s that?”

“THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!”


	8. The Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is still a jerk.

Frisk hugged Papyrus and said goodbye. He was sorry to leave, just as he was sorry to have left Toriel; these monsters, it seemed, cared more for him than the humans back home ever had. 

Papyrus packed Frisk a lunch box of spaghetti and gave them his phone number, urging them to call should they ever require assistance or just someone to talk to. Even Flowey seemed upset about leaving Papyrus, and he was not particularly trusting of any monster.

Still, they had a long way to go to reach the barrier. Frisk walked out of Snowdin, his heart light and happy, his stomach filled with pasta. For the first time since he had landed in this strange and hostile Underground, he felt surprisingly content. These monsters weren’t so bad, he said to himself. They just want to live on the surface...and who wouldn’t want that? 

His path led him down into a dark damp cave. The snow melted into water, and the sound of rushing waterfalls echoed throughout the cave. Imbedded deep into the stone walls were diamonds, glistening like stars and spreading dim light across the stones. This maze of caverns was decorated with bunches of fluorescent mushrooms, which lit up the path. 

All in all, it was beautiful, though Frisk did feel a bit claustrophobic inside these narrow cave walls. He had much preferred Snowdin, where the forest reached so high and the snow spread so far. And then he missed home, where the farm animals could graze for miles and miles and never get lost. Frisk understood now. As beautiful as the Underground was, the Surface could never lose its appeal. 

These caves (Frisk learned from a sign that they were simply called “Waterfall”) were also inhabited, as long rows of houses lined the stone walls. Monsters of all shapes and sizes went about their daily lives. A small monster with dinosaur-like features bumped into Frisk by accident. 

“Watch where you’re going!” the kid snapped. “Don’t you know who I am?!” 

“Sorry,” Frisk smiled, amused by this monster kid’s aggressiveness. He was like a cute puppy trying to be fierce. 

“I’m a future royal guard!” the kid proclaimed. “When I grow I’m gonna be just like Captain Undyne! So don’t mess with me!” He paused to check the watch on his ankle. “Oh shoot my parents are almost home!!” 

The monster kid ran down the path, fell flat on his face, got up and kept running home. 

Hmm. That was the second time Frisk had heard about this Captain Undyne. It sounded like they were pretty high up in the Royal Guard, which probably did not bode well for Frisk’s fate. Perhaps they could sneak past them and--

“Hiya, pal.” 

Sans grinned at Frisk, leaning casually out of his sentry station. He certainly had an annoying habit of popping up everywhere, but Frisk had to admit he was happy to see him, if only to rub his success in his stupid smiling face. 

“So how do ya like the boss?” Sans asked. “He’s pretty cool, huh?”

“I just fought him,” Frisk couldn’t help boasting. “And I won, and I didn’t attack him even once!” 

“That’s nice,” Sans smirked. “And how many times did he land a hit on you?” 

“Oh, a few,” Frisk lied easily. “But Flowey and I worked together, and I had food to keep my HP up!”

“So you won. Congrats,” Sans stepped out from behind his sentry station. “What about next time? What if ya don’t have health items then?” 

“Well, I’ll be ready for next time,” said Frisk, unsure what Sans was getting at. “I’ll have items prepared to keep my health up during battles.”

“Ah, but you’re missing one little thing….” Sans seized hold of Frisk’s shoulders and pushed him back, gently, until they were up against the stone wall. 

“You won’t be prepared if an enemy catches you off-guard~” Sans’ smile was unmistakably sinister. 

He was so close that Frisk had an unnervingly detailed view of his teeth--sharp, long, and nasty. One of his back teeth was made of gold and it glinted in the dim lights of the cave. 

“That a threat?” Frisk asked calmly, maintaining eye contact with Sans the whole time. His heart beat fast and his gut instinct was telling him that he was messing with danger. 

“Nah, just a warning.” Sans released Frisk and went back to his sentry station. “I’m telling ya, kid. You keep going the way you are now, you sure ain’t gonna like what happens next.” He shrugged. “But hey, why listen to an old bonehead like me? I’m just looking out for ya.” 

“Oh, please,” Frisk rolled his eyes and began walking away. “If you really gave a damn about me, you’ll quit following me and let me go my own way. I ain’t gonna fight or kill just to please you, got it? Now leave us alone.” 

“No need to please me,” Sans replied to Frisk’s back. “Worry about your own life, kid...don’t get mixed up in anyone else’s.” 

Damn, that skeleton was so pessimistic. It was true all the monsters here weren’t very nice, but killing isn't the answer. Right? Could Frisk really talk his way out of any conflict? He wanted to believe it, but Sans’s words made him doubt himself. He would have to stock up on food items the next time they reached a store. He sure as hell wasn’t about to let Sans catch him off guard like that again. 

As Frisk walked on, the little houses vanished and the cave became more and more deserted. Guess people didn’t come to this part as often. Frisk suddenly felt a bit lonely. He thought for a moment about going back and talking to Sans again, but decided against it. He had to keep moving. He hugged Flowey a little closer. 

Heavy footsteps sounded, startling Frisk. They came from above, where the cave jutted out into a second path. Clinking metal echoed across the cave walls, as though a knight in armor was approaching. And indeed, from Frisk’s view below he saw a figure dressed in shiny metal, coming down the path above. 

The knight held a long, heavy spear. 

Instinctively Frisk crouched among the thick reeds that grew along the riverbank. From here he could see the knight, and hopefully they couldn’t see him. The knight stopped, looking expectantly down the path. For a moment Frisk was confused until they heard Papyrus’s voice, still loud despite his obvious attempts to be quiet. 

“Well, it..it’s about the human, captain…” 

The knight apparently spoke, but Frisk was too far away to hear any of their words. 

“No, of course not!” Papyrus replied. “The Great and Terrible Papyrus would never--ah, well, you see…” 

Frisk strained to listen when the knight spoke. Whoever this person was, it was obvious Papyrus was a little scared of them. 

“The human isn’t really so bad,” Papyrus admitted. “They have lifted a finger against no one, they--yes, I know that doesn’t prove much, and yet--” 

The knight took a menacing step, as though making a threatening gesture.

“Yes, of course, Captain Undyne,” Papyrus saluted the knight. “I just wanted to warn you.” 

Frisk’s heart skipped a beat. This intimidating knight was the feared Captain Undyne? 

Uh oh.


	9. The True Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk meets Undyne.

The rushing water that had seemed so calm and serene before was now menacing and uncomfortably loud in the silence of Waterfall, reminding Frisk just how alone he really was. He was sure it was only a matter of time before Undyne caught him. 

Was this what Sans had meant, when he insisted upon killing? Was Frisk going to have to fight this Undyne no matter what? 

No. He had to try. He had to at least try to keep pacifistic. That was all he could do, right? He was not afraid of the knight in shining armor, the true villain. And he was definitely not afraid of Sans’s threats. 

“I think...” said Flowey slowly, when Frisk asked him. “I think that true courage isn’t striking down your enemy, but rather standing your ground even when you’re afraid. It takes courage to fight, and it also takes courage to make friends.” 

“Why don’t the monsters here see that?” Frisk asked. “Why do they insist on fighting?”

“That’s what they’ve come to expect from humans,” said Flowey sadly. “That’s how they will break the barrier.” 

Frisk thought for a moment. “What were the other humans like? The ones who fell before me?” 

“They…” Flowey hesitated. “They weren’t all bad...but some...took up the path of genocide.”

“They killed monsters?” Frisk stopped, staring at Flowey. 

“They weren’t pacifist like you,” Flowey sighed. “They were just defending themselves. Isn’t that all we can do in this world?” 

“Of course not,” Frisk protested. “If you only care about defending yourself, you’ll never reach out to other people. That’s just being selfish. Right?” 

At that moment an unfamiliar voice called out, echoing across the cave walls. 

“The only one being selfish here...is you.” 

“Wha--?!” Frisk whirled around to see, and was immediately forced back by the sheer awesomeness of the figure that landed in front of him. 

Yeeup, it was the knight. She pulled off her helmet to reveal a flowing mane of red hair. 

“Lemme give it to ya straight, punk,” the knight smirked. “Your soul belongs to us monsters now. We only need one more to break the barrier and go free!” 

She posed dramatically. “I’m Undyne the Undying, and every monster here bows to me. I am the true villain of this world. And YOU’VE got nothing on me, kid!”

“I’m not a kid,” Frisk folded his arms defiantly. 

“Seriously? I didn’t know humans came in such tiny sizes!” She laughed, patting his head. “You’re so small and cute I just wanna squish you into little bloody bits!” 

“If you’re gonna take me to Asgore, there’s really no need,” Frisk explained. “I mean, we were just going there ourselves. We’re gonna break the barrier, and--” 

“Who the hell cares about Asgore?!” Undyne shouted. “I’M gonna break the barrier and lead an army of monsters against the human race!!” 

“Um..what army?” Frisk asked. “No offense, but your Royal Guard is, like, super nice. I don’t think they want to kill anyone.”

“SHUT UP! You may have befriended my incompetent Royal Guard, but your little friend tricks won’t work on me!!”

“Okay, but--” 

“OHMYGOD STOP TALKING AND DIE ALREADY--”

Undyne’s attacks were as heavy and vicious as the spears she wielded. She fought with the steady brutality of a warrior who’s been doing this for a long time. In fact, she might have even been the one who killed the other six hum--woah that was way too close!!

Need to concentrate! Frisk dodged and avoided the spears as best as he could. Hey, he was actually getting better at this. Maybe getting into these fights was paying off after all. But that didn’t mean he could start fighting himself. No, he was determined to stick to his pacifism, no matter what. 

Unfortunately Undyne didn’t give him much of a chance to do so. She was too busy practicing war cries to hear him, and it was obvious she had no interest in anything he had to say. Welp, now he knew where Papyrus got his habit of screaming from…

Between the spears and the yelling, Frisk couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He couldn’t negotiate, couldn’t explain. And he sure as hell couldn’t dodge those spear attacks forever…

No fighting. No ACTing. Up until now Frisk hadn’t even considered the third option: fleeing. But wasn’t running from a fight the opposite of courage, of standing your ground? 

A particularly brutal spear attack nearly took off Frisk’s head. That decided it for him. If he died now and Sans’s smug grin saying “I told you so” was the last thought he had, he would never forgive himself!

So Frisk ran. 

"Wha--hey!!" Undyne was caught by surprise. "Get back here!! I haven't finished kicking your ass!!"

Almost immediately Frisk realized this was a bad idea. His stubby little legs were no match for Undyne's long, muscular ones. Plus he had to run and dodge spears at the same time. 

"I'M GONNA SKEWER YOU, PUNK!" 

Frisk saw a vivid mental image of himself on a skewer, getting roasted over a barbecue. A Frisk-kabob. No, don't think about that! Its slowing you down. You need to run faster, faster! 

Undyne was right on his figurative tail. Any moment now she would grab him and--

Stop it! Less talking, more running!! 

As Frisk ran, his head bowed towards the ground, he hardly noticed the sparkly stone walls fade into hot volcano rock, long covered over by lava. The cool atmosphere of Waterfall was vanishing, making way for a hot, humid air. 

Even Undyne was huffing and puffing by now, her heavy armor slowing her down considerably. 

"You..are so….dead! Punk!" she panted, exhausted.

Frisk was even more tired. The sheer adrenaline of the fight was fading away, and he was losing energy by the second. More than anything he wanted someone here with him to help. Toriel, or Papyrus, or the dogs. Hell, at this point he'd even take-- 

Sans?! 

Damn it, how does he keep popping up everywhere?! And how the hell does he keep up three sentry stations at once?!

Yet here he was, at the edge of Hotland, sleeping at his sentry station! 

"Sans!" Frisk tried to shout, but he didn't have enough breath to shout and run at the same time. And no amount of hoarse screaming would wake him up. 

Trust Sans to be utterly useless at a time like this! 

Apparently Undyne thought the same thing. She actually stopped at Sans' station to yell at him, thankfully giving Frisk a break. Now, looking around, he saw a huge neon sign welcoming him to Hotland. What an aptly named place! He wondered how far it was to Asgore's castle. Hopefully not too far, he really didn't have the energy to-- 

"Gotcha!" 

Undyne, apparently done with Sans, grabbed Frisk's collar. Her words came in short breaths, and she was incredibly sweaty.

"No...more...running..." she panted. "Now I'm gonna...ungh…." 

And she passed out, releasing her grip on Frisk. 

He stared at the fallen warrior, uncomprehending. He too was beginning to suffer from the heat, the shortness of breath. What was he going to do? Leave her here to die from heatstroke? Didn't she deserve it? 

Frisk did the first thing that came to his mind: he called for help. Toriel never answered his calls, so he dialed for Papyrus. It was answered almost instantly.

"Hello, this is the Great and--"

"Papyrus I need your help!" Frisk's words came spilling out of him. "I'm in Hotland and Undyne just collapsed and she's not moving and I dunno what to do and--" 

"Stay where you are, human," Papyrus declared. "I'll be there in a jiffy!"


	10. The Cooking Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk makes a friend

Together Frisk and Papyrus carried the unconscious Undyne back to Waterfall. She was heavy with all that armor on, but Papyrus was surprisingly strong and Frisk undeniably determined (he was actually too short to properly carry Undyne but gosh dang it he tried his best). 

Admittedly he did regret that he was going backwards. Hopefully they’ll be able to drop off Undyne, make sure she was okay, and head back to Hotland to continue the journey. Thank god Papyrus was on hand and willing to help! Unlike a certain other skeleton…

Eventually they arrived at Undyne’s house. Frisk had no idea how he’d never noticed it before. It looked exactly like her. Then again, there were a lot of strange looking houses in this part of Waterfall that were apparently abandoned. 

Inside the house, they laid her gently on the couch and stripped off her armor. Frisk fetched some cold water from the sink while Papyrus fanned her. Once she was properly cooled down, Undyne woke up. 

“Whazzat?!” She bolted up, very nearly punching Papyrus in the skull. “What happened?! Where--?!” 

“Captain, you’re okay!” Papyrus hugged her gleefully. “We were scared you’d been filleted!” 

“Yeah, yeah, get off,” Undyne waved him off grumpily, though she did not seem entirely displeased at his affection. “And who’s ‘we’?”

Frisk gave a small wave from his end of the couch. Undyne stared at him. 

“Papyrus,” she said in a dangerously soft voice. “Isn’t that the same human whose ass I was going to kick?” 

“Well, you don’t have to kick anymore, Captain!” Papyrus beamed. “This human is very nice! In fact, they called me when you fell and carried you all the way back here from Hotland!” 

Undyne continued staring at Frisk, but said nothing. 

“WOOPSY DOOPSY,” Papyrus shouted. “I JUST REMEMBERED I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!” 

He jumped out the window and vanished. Undyne didn’t even blink. 

“Is it true?” she asked Frisk. “Did you really help me, or is that one of Pap’s ‘little baby lies’?” 

“Well I couldn’t just leave you there!” Frisk insisted. “You could’ve died!” 

“I tried to kill you!” Undyne argued. “No one would blame you for leaving me!”

“I would’ve,” said Frisk firmly. 

“You’re a weird kid,” Undyne took a drink of water. 

Frisk waited till she was finished drinking before speaking again. “Are you really going to take an army against humans if the barrier is broken?” 

“Are you kidding?” Undyne scoffed. “I was just bluffing. Another war with humans would probably just wipe out what’s left of us. Nah, man, we just wanna live on the surface peacefully. Anyway, we do get newspapers down here. Humans make enough trouble for themselves without our help.” 

“Well, you’re not wrong there…” Frisk sighed, thinking of his own past troubles. 

Undyne checked her watch. “Oh crap, it’s time for Papyrus’s cooking lesson!!”

“What?”

“And if he’s not here…” Undyne stood, towering over Frisk. “YOU’RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO TAKE IT FOR HIM!!”

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘cooking lesson’?” Frisk asked timidly. 

“Have you tried Papyrus’s spaghetti?” Undyne smiled proudly. “I taught ‘em that.” 

The idea of Undyne, the True Villain, being a cooking teacher made Frisk want to laugh out loud, but wisely held it back. 

“Really? I mean, why do you guys have cooking lessons together?”  
“Weeeell…” Undyne looked a bit uncomfortable. “When Sans and Pap moved to Snowdin a couple years ago, they were fighting a lot. I mean, it was a big move and their dad had just died or whatever, but they were at each other’s throats constantly. And those two are pretty freaking strong! The Royal Guard needs them in one piece! So I set up these cooking lessons just to get Papyrus out of the house and away from Sans for a little while. And it worked! They don’t fight as much anymore! And Papyrus and I actually had a good time--” Undyne stopped, realizing she had said too much. 

Flowey poked his head cautiously out of Frisk’s sleeve. “Wow, that’s actually a sweet story--”

“GAH THERE’S A FLOWER PARASITE ON YOU!!” Undyne summoned a dozen spears all pointed Flowey. 

“Wait, wait!” Frisk shouted. “It’s okay! It’s just Flowey! He’s my friend!” 

“Friends, huh?” Undyne narrowed her eyes. “You may have made friends with my lovably incompetent Royal Guard, but I won’t be so easy~” 

“Wanna bet~?” Frisk smiled. 

“Bring it on~” 

“Let’s cook~!”

The next few hours resulted in what would be classified on any cooking show as a complete and utter disaster, but was actually just two friends having fun. Spaghetti strands flew, tomato sauce splattered all over the walls, and a lot of furniture was impaled on spears. But even if they didn’t actually manage to cook anything, Frisk and Undyne found themselves laughing at their stupid mistakes, throwing globs of spaghetti sauce at each other, an accidentally leaving the stove on too high--wait, what? 

A few minutes later Frisk and Undyne were standing outside the burning house. 

“Oh my god,” Frisk gasped. “Undyne, I am so sorry--I didn’t mean--”

“Sorry?!” Undyne grabbed Frisk in a hug and spun him around. “Dude, that was SO MUCH FUN!! WE’VE GOT TO DO THIS AGAIN SOMETIME!!”

“B-But your house--”

“Forget it, I’ll build a new one!” Undyne’s eye was sparkling with delight. “Listen, Frisk, I wasn’t sure about you at first, but I think you’ve got what it takes to beat Asgore and break the barrier.”

“R-Really? You think so?” Frisk stared at her. 

“Yeah, kid! We’re all rooting for you to do it! I’ll spread the word! Don’t worry,” Undyne winked. “When you face Asgore we’ll all be behind you.” 

“Undyne, I…” Frisk grinned. ”Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, yeah, save it,” Undyne smirked. “Hey, can you do me a favor? Since you’re going to Hotland, would you mind delivering a letter for me?” 

She gave Frisk a letter addressed to a Dr. Alphys. 

“You can just drop it by the big white lab in Hotland. You can’t miss it. But don’t open the letter, okay? Or I’ll actually kick your ass.” 

“Uh, sure, no problem,” Frisk looked at the letter. “Dr. Alphys, huh? Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” 

Frisk and Flowey waved goodbye and headed on their way, back to Hotland. Although it had been a fun diversion, Frisk was happy to get back on track on their way to the barrier. Having Undyne and Papyrus by his side made him feel determined. Flowey, however, was frightened. 

“Frisk, we can’t go to that lab,” he said. “Dr. Alphys...she...she’s evil. Let’s just leave the letter and move on. Please.” 

“Undyne’s counting on us,” Frisk answered. “What’s wrong? What’s so bad about Dr. Alphys?”

“She…” Flowey swallowed hard. “She took my soul.”


	11. The Mad Scientist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk meets Alphys and Mettaton woot woot

“Dr. Alphys...took your...soul?” Frisk repeated. “But why? Who is she?”

“Alphys is the Royal Scientist,” Flowey explained. “She’s supposed to be working on a way to break the barrier, so she… she started performing horrible experiments on other monsters…I was one of them.”

Flowey had never talked about his past before. Frisk jumped at the opportunity to learn, though he was afraid of what he would hear. 

“What kinda experiments?”

“She injected me and a lot of other monsters with this powerful stuff called Determination,” Flowey shuddered. “Only humans have the physical strength to handle it. For us monsters it’s deadly. But she just kept injecting more and more...until--” 

He stopped and looked at Frisk. “We can’t go to that lab! She might hurt you too. Please, let’s leave it and just get to the king. I can’t lose you too, Frisk.” 

“Okay, okay,” Frisk agreed. “We’ll just drop the letter off at the lab, okay? We won’t go inside. Promise.” 

On their way back to Hotland, Frisk tried to get a bit more information out of Flowey, but he had shut up like a clam and wouldn’t speak more. It was obvious his past was too painful still to talk about openly. Well, Frisk could understand that. He wasn’t exactly being honest either. 

Hotland was not nearly as pretty as other places in the Underground, but it still had an odd charm to it that Frisk could not help but appreciate. The monsters who lived here had less organic appearances than others in the Underground. The whole city was run on steam power, and factories in the distance blew their neverending smoke. 

Undyne was right, you really couldn’t miss the lab. It was a huge building, stark white against the red stone of Hotland. Frisk marveled at it; any building more than two stories was rare back home. Sure, in the big cities there were buildings like this, but--ah, focus! Undyne’s counting on you!

Frisk walked up to the main entrance of the lab. Flowey was noticeably shivering; just being near this place brought back bad memories. Frisk looked for a place in the door to slip the letter in, but it was so smooth and white. There was no mail slot or anything.   
“Huh,” Frisk looked all over the door. “How are we supposed to--?” 

“LOOK OUT!” Flowey shrieked. 

Abruptly the ground opened up beneath them: what had looked like ordinary dirt was actually a trapdoor. Panicking, Frisk grabbed for something to hold on to--but the dirt slipped through his hands and they fell down…

This was certainly ot a natural fall like Frisk had experienced at Mt. Ebott. This one was man made, carefully calculated to catch unwary visitors. Frisk landed on a slide, which propelled him far down beneath the lab and slid him neatly onto an operation table, the straps of which magically bound down their victim. 

“No no no,” Flowey moaned quietly. “I knew this was gonna happen!” 

“Shut up, Flowey!” Frisk snapped, struggling to reach his toy knife. He was frustrated and Flowey’s pessimism was not helping. 

“Oooooh, I’ve been expecting you!” A sing-song voice rang out. 

A lizard-like monster with oversized glasses hopped up to the operation table where Frisk was tied down. 

“H-Hello!” She had a nervous stutter and large front teeth. “I’m Dr. Alphys! And you must be Frisk! It is sooooooo cool to finally meet you! You had, like, such a good character arc in Snowdin! When Sans pushed you against the wall I just--” 

She fanned herself anxiously. “I had serious doki dokis, omg. I totally thought he was gonna kiss you, like, I ship you two so hard!” 

“What?!” Frisk turned red at the idea that somebody actually saw that uncomfortable moment. “How did you--?!” 

“Oh, I-I’ve been watching you since you got out of the Ruins,” Alphys smiled. “I got cameras set up everywhere. It’s like watching a reality TV show! But like, it’s actually reality!” 

“Okay, that’s really freaking creepy,” Frisk was not amused. “But if you’re planning on handing me over to Asgore, we were headed there anyway, so--”  
“Oh, Asgore’s got enough human souls already,” Alphys pouted. “He won’t miss just one. And I’ve never had the opportunity to experiment on a human before! I’ve always wanted to know how you humans keep all those organs inside ya.” 

She pulled a bright medical lamp over Frisk’s body. “Let’s find out~” 

“NO!” Flowey desperately spread his vines in an effort to protect Frisk. “Don’t hurt him! Please!” 

“Huh?” Alphys stared at him. “Flowey? Is that y-you? I was wondering where you escaped to! You know, I still got your soul in a little jar on my desk~” 

“You evil creature!” Flowey roared in a voice Frisk had never heard from him before. “As the Royal Prince I order you to release us now!”

“‘Royal Prince’?” Alphys laughed harshly. “That’s a joke! Even the king didn’t recognize you like this! But while you’re here…”

She grabbed Flowey by the stem, her clawed hands digging into his petals. 

“Wait, wait!” Frisk stopped her, his mind racing for ideas to get them out of this situation. “What if--um--what if we played a game?” 

“A game?” Alphys raised her eyebrows. 

“Yeah--let’s play a game!” Frisk ran with the idea, stupid as it sounded. “A-And if you win, you can keep my soul or whatever. But if we win, you have to give us Flowey’s soul.” 

“Oooh, a competition!” Alphys adjusted her glasses. “That does sound like fun! And you have been so entertaining so far...oh, alright. But I get to pick the game!” 

“Um, okay,” Frisk swallowed hard. “What...what is it? 

“Well,” Alphys grinned. “I have just the thing in mind~”

She undid the straps, freeing Frisk, and shoved Flowey back into his hands. “You just stand right there,” she pointed at a circle on the floor. 

Confused, Frisk obeyed her and stood in the circle. “What--” he began, but before he could finish the question the circle beneath him rose--up and up through a hole in the ceiling. 

Suddenly he was in a huge stadium, crowded with monsters of all shapes and sizes! They screamed and jeered, while hundreds of cameras focused on Frisk. It felt like the start of a massive football game. What the hell was this place?

“LADIES AND MONSTERS!” the announcer, a sleazy skinny monster yelled through a microphone. “WELCOME TO OUR LATEST EPISODE OF: FIGHTING A KILLER ROBOT!” 

Frisk’s heart sank. Of course the only game Alphys would play involved his death. 

“We got some special guests here for ya tonight, folks!” the announcer continued gleefully. “IN THIS CORNER….the human who has never shed a drop of blood! The kid who, against all odds, just won’t freaking die! Our epic challenger…. FRISK!” 

Loud boos and hisses from the audience. Frisk waved timidly. 

“AAAND IN THIS CORNER...the star of the Underground! The robot who has stolen our hearts and very often our souls! The undefeated champion...METTATON!” 

The audience exploded into applause and cheers. This guy was obviously quite popular, whoever he was. Frisk squinted through the smoke and lights to see who he was supposed to be fighting. 

Instead, he got a boot to the face. 

“Oh, dear,” a soft, sultry voice spoke. “You weren’t supposed to go down that easily, dear~” 

Frisk rubbed the bruise on his cheek and looked up. The voice belonged to a robot, a tall, feminine humanoid with four eyes, four arms, and massive high heeled boots. His lips were full and his eyes sexy and seductive. He was, in a word, terrifying. 

A cheer went up from the crowds: “We love you, Mettaton!!” “You can step on me, Mettaton!!” “Mettaton, sign my face!!”

“Of course, darlings!” Mettaton blew kisses, clearly loving the attention. “I couldn’t do it without you, my precious fans! And of course, a special thanks to the talented Dr. Alphys! Without her, I would just be a lonely little ghost, doomed to life as an intangible nonentity. BUT DON’T WORRY, DARLINGS! After the show autograph signings will be in the front!! Only three gold apiece!!” 

“HEY, METALFACE!” Frisk shouted. He was angry now. Had he travelled through the Underground, befriended so many monsters, and faced the fiercest warriors just to get killed by this egotistical robot? Hell no! 

“Hm?” Mettaton turned and frowned haughtily. “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, darlings. The autographs will just have to wait. It seems this little brat doesn’t know when to stand down. Such a shame.” 

He cracked his immaculately painted fingers. “Shall I teach him a lesson?” 

The audience roared their approval. “TEAR THE HUMAN APART, METTATON!” 

Frisk planted his feet firmly on the ground. He thought of the friends he had left behind: Flowey and Toriel and Papyrus and Undyne and all the other monsters he had come to love. Hell, he even liked Sans. Just a little bit. The thought of his friends behind him filled Frisk with determination. 

“Bring it on, Metalface.”


	12. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk fights Mettaton

Looking back, challenging Mettaton was definitely one of Frisk’s worst decisions. 

For all his feminine, diva personality, the guy was strong. Terrifyingly strong. A well-aimed kick from his high heeled boots nearly broke Frisk’s ribs. He was fast and agile, his attacks choreographed like a dance. 

Not to mention all the smoke, lights, and noise from the crowd made Frisk dizzy and disoriented. Normally he was much better at dodging than this! Flowey dutifully provided health items and encouragement, as usual, but it was fast becoming clear that Frisk may not survive this fight. 

The worst part of it was Mettaton’s damned ego. He wasn’t fighting Frisk to take his soul or save monsters or any other noble reason. He was fighting purely to please the audience, and somehow this made Frisk even more frustrated and angry by his defeat. 

It was obviously no good to try and reason with the killer robot, or with the audience for that matter. They screamed for Frisk’s blood, oblivious to all his protests that he was just trying to help. Huge screens on each side of the stadium displayed the show’s ratings and viewer count: clearly, the audience wasn’t happy that Frisk was still alive. 

“Just die already!” Mettaton hissed uncharacteristically. With Frisk constantly dodging and not fighting back, the audience was getting bored, and ratings were dropping every second. Mettaton just wanted to finish it. 

Frisk glanced up at the ratings board again, wondering if he could use that to his advantage--when Mettaton snatched his collar. Uh oh. The one second he had let his guard down meant his end! 

“Now we will finish this,” Mettaton announced, raising Frisk to his eye level. He pulled back his fist for a crushing blow--

When Undyne’s letter fell out of Frisk’s pocket. 

Comments abounded from the audience. 

“Huh?” “What’s that?” “Came from the kid’s pocket…” “Is it gold?” “What is it?” 

Curious, Mettaton picked up the letter and looked it over. “Why, it is addressed to our beloved Dr. Alphys!”   
Frisk watched helplessly as Mettaton unfolded the letter and scanned it over. His eyes widened and he dropped Frisk in his surprise. 

“Well, isn’t this an interesting development!” he crowed to the audience. “It appears we have stumbled across a love letter!” 

And without further ado, he began to read it aloud in the most dramatic voice he could muster.

“‘Dear Alphys….

I know it must be strange, my writing to you like this...but I simply cannot stop thinking of you!’”

“Ooooooh,” the audience cooed. 

“‘All the times we met at the dump have made me realize...life is not all about suplexing boulders and bathing in the blood of my enemies! It’s about spending time with the people you care about!’” 

“Awwwww,” the audience responded. 

“‘That’s why, as soon as this letter is delivered, I’m going to your lab right now!! And showing you how much I care about you! By breaking the spines of your enemies with my knee!’”

“It’s so romantic,” an audience member wiped a tear from his eye. 

Frisk, for his part, was utterly bewildered by the whole situation, and also hoping that Undyne wouldn’t kill him for dropping the letter in front of Mettaton. 

Eventually Mettaton’s dramatic love-letter reading was mercifully halted by Alphys, who rushed into the stadium, covering her bright red face. 

“G-Gimme that!” She snatched the letter from Mettaton and buried it in her pocket, cowering as the audience laughed at her. 

“Oh, darling, who is it? Who wrote that lovely sonnet for you?” Mettaton teased. 

“None of your business!!” Alphys shrieked, backing towards the door. 

“Hey, wait, you owe me!” Frisk caught up to her. “I won, so you have to give us Flowey’s soul back!” 

“You didn’t win!” Alphys retorted. “Mettaton kicked your ass!” 

“Technically, I forfeited the fight,” Mettaton piped up. “So the victory goes to the human.”

“Whose side are you on?!” Alphys screeched. 

Still, she was in no position to fight any more, so she conceded. Mettaton moved on to taking autographs from the audience. 

Frisk and Flowey followed Alphys down into the depths of the Underground.


	13. The Monster Soul

As Frisk and Flowey descended deeper into the lab, it occurred to Frisk that this may very well be a trap. They were following Dr. Alphys after all, and it was pretty clear that she was not exactly the most trustworthy of persons. 

But it was too late to go back now, and they had already come so far. Looking back, Frisk was amazed at everything he had accomplished: the fights he had won, the friends he had made. And, now, with luck, he was going to repay his best friend Flowey by getting his soul back. He felt confident, determined. It seemed that everything, for once, was going right. 

Flowey, meanwhile, was hiding his face in Frisk's shirt. The lab brought back unspeakable memories. It looked like a hospital room, with beds and flowers placed on bedside tables. It might have been a pleasant place to stay if there were any people here. But it was deserted. 

A quiet, persistent growling alerted Frisk. He looked around. "What was that?"

Alphys didn't answer. 

Peering down the darkened hallway of the lab, Frisk perceived a huge white shape. It appeared to be alive, trembling gently as it moved closer. Though it looked nothing like a dog, it had a dog's ears and a dog's shape. Carefully Frisk reached out his hand, allowed the thing to sniff him. 

When he pet the monster, memories of the canine unit in Snowdin flooded his mind. 

"Oh, god." For some reason, tears came to Frisk's eyes. He couldn't help it; he wasn't trying to cry. It was just that this creature seemed so familiar, like a long-lost friend that Frisk had dearly and deeply loved. 

"It's them," Flowey whispered hoarsely. "The monsters I was with. They were injected with too much determination and melted together. She did this to them!" 

Alphys leaned against a table, dripping the edge to support herself. "I had to see how much they could handle," she said. "Now, they're so much stronger than ever before." 

Frisk found himself hugging the amalgamate, burying his face in its soft fur. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to hold onto this feeling forever, this happiness. He didn't even look up when a new voice rang out through the lab. 

"Alphys?" 

A tall warrior appeared at the staircase. 

"U-Undyne!" Alphys cried in surprise. "W-What are you doing here?!" 

"Dude, your killer robot just read our letter out loud on national TV," Undyne smirked. "I had to come see you!" 

"Oh, god, I am so sorry about that," Alphys buried her face in her hands. "I should've stopped him, I didn't--" 

She stopped as Undyne picked her up, hugging her close. "It's not your fault, man. I mean, I'm definitely gonna break Mettaton's spine later, but that's no big loss, right?" She winked. 

"Undyne, I--!" Alphys tried to find the right words. "I'm sorry I kept my experiments a secret from you. From everyone. I just want to break the barrier...and I know I've done horrible things to achieve that. I'm so sorry." 

She glanced at Frisk, who was still hugging the amalgamate. "I'll be right back." 

A few minutes later Alphys returned from her office, holding a frail, delicate monster soul. It had been preserved through determination magic, and now it was ready to return to it's owner. 

Flowey closed his eyes, as though expecting the return of his soul to be painful somehow. Frisk and Undyne watched solemnly...

There was a burst of light, and then there was no longer a flower. There was a goat boy. 

"Your royal highness, the prince..." Alphys and Undyne kneeled before him. "Asriel Dreemur." 

Frisk just stared. 

"You're a what-now?"


	14. The Prince

Asriel Dreemur laid his hands upon his chest and inhaled. "It feels so good to have a soul again!" 

"You...you're a prince!" Frisk cried. "You're not a flower. Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I-I was scared," Asriel admitted. "I'm not brave like you, Frisk. I was frightened of what other monsters might do if they found out who I was. I couldn't let you get hurt because of me." 

"Oh, you really are an idiot!" Frisk hugged his friend close. "You know I promised that I'd never let anyone hurt you." 

"F-Frisk--!" 

Asriel hugged his friend close, fighting back tears. "Heh...I-I'm such a crybaby..." 

"It's okay," Frisk smiled. "You're my best friend." 

"Awww," Alphys cooed. "This is the best character arc by far." 

"Okay, enough with the sappy stuff!" Undyne snapped. "Don't you guys have places to be?" 

"She's right." Asriel put his hands on Frisk's shoulders. "Listen. You're so close now to the end. There's an elevator here that'll take you straight up to the king's castle. From there, you'll confront him and break the barrier. I know you can do this, Frisk." 

"Aren't you coming with me?" Frisk asked. "We've always went everywhere together..."

"Not this time," Asriel smiled sadly. "Now that I have my soul again, I need to be a prince to my people. I'm going to round everyone up and bring them to the castle. We'll be right behind you. We'll support you. You just have to hold off the king until we come." 

"By myself?" Frisk faltered. He had to be strong. Asriel was right. He could do this. 

Right? 

Asriel, Alphys, and Undyne headed out of the lab to spread the word that the barrier was going to be broken. An uproar like never seen before burst in the Underground, as all the monster rallied together in the support of the little human who would give them freedom. 

But Frisk knew nothing of this. He was alone, going up in the long elevator ride to the castle, New Home. He had never felt so distinctly lonely before. The only sound was the distant mechanical whirring that was always present in Hotland. For the first time he desperately wished that there were monsters around. Even if they weren't friendly, at least it was someone to talk to. 

And he dearly missed Flow--Asriel. He was truly Frisk's best friend, so supportive and kind. And all the other monsters he had loved--how he wished they were here, by his side! He felt like he could face a hundred monster kings if he had a friend by his side. But now, it was just him. 

The elevator doors opened, leading into a golden hallway. Frisk stepped out carefully. The sounds of his shoes on the polished floor echoed loudly, the only noise in the hall. No, he heard something else. A slow, heavy breath. 

Frisk peered down the hallway. Someone was here, a short figure. The king? 

No. He knew that shape. Frisk's heart fell when he got closer, when he saw the rounded skull. 

Not him. 

Anyone but him. 

Sans stood at the end of the judgment hall.


	15. The judgement

Sans stood at the end of the judgement hall. 

His hands were in his pockets, his eyes closed and his head resting gently on the fluff of his jacket collar. At a distance he appeared to be sleeping, but Frisk knew better. 

Better get this over with. Frisk was in no mood for Sans’ games. He walked right up to the short skeleton. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Hm?” Sans lifted one eyelid. “Waiting for you, duh.” 

“Sans, get out of my way,” Frisk said firmly. 

“Relax, pal,” Sans grinned. “S’not like the king is going anywhere.” 

He fiddled with the zipper of his jacket as he talked. “Gotta admit, I’m impressed. Never expected ya to get this far. When I first saw you, I thought, this kid is gonna get eaten alive. But here you are. Well, I’ll admit when I’m wrong.” 

“I’m so close now,” said Frisk. “All I have to do is confront the king. I can do this. Just get out of the way.” 

“Frisk,” Sans dropped the comical tone. “King Asgore won’t put up with your pacifism. He’ll kill you. And he’ll lock up your soul like he locked up the others. Monsters will never be free.” 

“What?” Frisk stared at him. “But why? He’s the king! Shouldn’t he be trying to free the monsters?”

“No. He’s too scared of humans,” Sans scowled. “You’re the last hope, pal. And if he kills you, that’s it. It’s over until the next human comes.” 

“But I won’t let him kill me,” Frisk insisted. “I can do this! Maybe I can talk him out of it! And when the others come, we’ll all go together! We--” 

Sans interrupted, “Kid. Listen. Forget Asgore. Forget the other monsters. You can do this, Frisk. All you’ve gotta do is take my soul.”

“I--what?” Frisk started, surprised. 

“Yeah. Kill me, absorb my soul, and use it to break the barrier,” Sans explained. “That way monsters can be free, and you won’t get killed by Asgore.”

“Sans, I...I won’t kill you.” 

“You know, you can drop the pacifist act with me. All humans kill. It’s in their blood. Kill me and free the monsters. Everyone will be happy.”

“But you’ll be dead!” Frisk’s voice cracked. “It-It’s not a happy ending without you!”

“Ha,” Sans laughed mirthlessly. “Life doesn’t give you happy endings, kiddo. You take what you can get. Absorbing my soul is the easiest way to deal with this. But if you really don’t wanna kill, there’s another option.” 

“What’s that?” 

A large bone erupted out of the ground, very close to Frisk. Sans grinned. 

“I absorb your soul and use it to cross the barrier.” 

Frisk glared at the skeleton. “You’ll kill me? I thought we were friends.” 

“If you were really my friend, you’d kill me first,” Sans retorted. “We both want to break the barrier, Frisk. Just give in and we can get it done.” 

“No,” Frisk stood firm, determined. “We can do this without any killing. Let me through, or I’ll--”

“You’ll what?” Sans smirked. “Is the little pacifist finally gonna give me a real fight? ‘Cause pal, if you take one step closer, I’m gonna have a good time.” 

Frisk narrowed his eyes. 

The battle began. 

Sans’s attacks were complicated, fast, and strategic. His abilities were unlike anything Frisk had ever seen before. Dodging was an art. And at Frisk’s every turn, he attempted to talk Sans down, to negotiate. 

It was true, they both wanted the same goal. But Sans was convinced that Asgore was too powerful, that in the end only killing could save their world. And Frisk would not give in. 

“Keep sparing me all you want, pal,” Sans teased. “I’m still gonna kill ya.” 

His attacks were so fast, so time-consuming, that Frisk put all his energy into dodging them. He didn’t even have time to think of what to say, of how to argue out of this. But he knew he had to act fast. The others would be coming soon, and he had yet to reach the king. 

There had to be a way to get through to Sans, to distract him, make him let his guard down. Something Frisk had not tried on any other monster. The idea of it was ridiculous and honestly, a little silly. But it just might work. 

When it came again to Frisk’s turn, he was panting, out of breath from the heavy dodging. 

“Sans...wait...stop…” he gasped for air before continuing. “I-I have to tell you…”

“What is it this time, kid?” Sans frowned. He was sure this was another of Frisk’s lame arguments. 

“I-I like you,” Frisk admitted. “I have since we met. Even after I left Snowdin, I-I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I can’t kill you because, well, I…” he trailed off, blushing. 

To his surprise, Sans was also blushing. “Frisk, you...you really mean that?”

“Y-Yeah…” Taking a risk, Frisk stepped closer to Sans. He could feel the skeleton’s warm breath on his face. “I’m sorry, I…”

“Frisk…” 

Sans looked into Frisk’s eyes, and he saw something like love there. 

They were inches apart. Frisk’s lips curved suddenly into a smile. 

“Get dunked on.”

And then he shoved Sans, hard, against the wall. 

“Gah!” Sans was forced back and hit his skull against the wall. Not hard enough to hurt too badly, just enough to get him out of the way. 

Suddenly Frisk was racing towards the other end of the judgment hall. “Sorry!!” 

“Get back here!!” Sans raised his hand to grab Frisk’s soul, but was interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“Sans? Are you in here, brother?” 

Papyrus peeked into the hall. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Are you okay?”

Sans rubbed the bruise on the back of his skull, looked down the hall where Frisk had vanished. 

“Yeah, Papy. I’m fine.”


End file.
